Caleb Banks
Getty
University of Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
In the case of any NFL draft, there are going to be players who, for all intents and purposes, should be 1st round picks who drop to the later rounds for whatever reason.
In the case of 6-foot-6, 327-pound Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, it’s injuries that seem to keep bumping him off mock drafts from the 1st round to the 2nd or 3rd round. Which could end up being game-changing value for some lucky team.
The Athletic’s latest “First 100 Picks” mock draft has Banks dropping to the Ravens in the 2nd round at No. 45 overall.
“Two foot injuries in less than a year will bump Banks down the board, but how far?” The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner wrote. “When healthy, he is DT1 in this class and an easy first-round pick. He could be a steal for someone, depending on his medicals.”
At the NFL scouting combine in February, Banks seemed to have an issue with his shoes during the testing portion of the workouts — it turned out to be something much more serious.
“Sources: DT Caleb Banks suffered a broken foot at the Combine that will sideline him until June,” NFL draft expert Dane Brugler wrote on March 12. “The injury happened the night before his on-field testing. He performed a partial workout not knowing the extent of the injury. The fracture of the fourth metatarsal was surgically repaired by Dr. Norman Waldrop on March 9. NFL teams have been informed.”
Lost in all of this? Banks still ran the 40-yard dash in 5.04 seconds and had a vertical leap of 32 inches even after breaking his foot.
Caleb Banks Projected 1st Round Pick Before Injury
In ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft in January, he predicted Banks going to the Broncos in the 1st round (No. 30 overall) — a pick Denver later traded to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
“Injuries limited Banks to three games this past season, but I enjoyed watching his 2024 tape,” Kiper wrote. “He had 4.5 sacks that campaign, getting some good interior push. But his real impact is as a run defender: At 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, he stuffs ball carriers and makes plays behind the line of scrimmage.”
More Potential Than Production in College
Banks is a Detroit native who started his college career with 2 seasons at Louisville before transferring to Florida for his final 3 college seasons.
Out of those 5 seasons, he had good film to evaluate from just 2 of them — in 2023 and 2024 — with 2024 being the breakout year with the 4.5 sacks, as Kiper pointed out.
“Caleb Banks makes a person second-guess what they’re seeing on film because of how quick and athletic he is for his size,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote in his pre-draft scouting report. “The 6’6″, 330-pound defensive lineman has plenty of tools to develop into a well-rounded interior defender in the NFL. Due to a foot injury, Banks played in three games during the 2025 season. As a result, his pre-draft evaluation shifts to the previous year’s tape, which shows raw technique that will require fine-tuning at the next level.”